There is still time to sign up for Obamacare and get health insurance that starts on March 1, 2014. You have until February 15th to apply and choose an insurance plan. The process is much easier now than it was at the launch of Health.gov.

Put aside the political noise and try the site to see for yourself.  The Department of Health and Human Services posted this story by a young Florida woman who has insurance because of Obamacare. We think it’s worth re-posting.

PERSONAL STORY

“I’m Stefania Fochi. I’m 25 years old, I live in Sarasota, Fla., and for the past four years I didn’t have health insurance.

It made me very nervous, because I work with heavy machinery when I make empanadas and pasta in my family’s business. There have been times when I’ve been using the big 2,000-pound kneader and almost caught my hand and thought: If I had to go to the emergency room, what would I do?

Also, there’s a history of ovarian cancer in my mother’s family: My great-grandma died of it, my grandma had it and my Mom had it, so I need to keep up on the checkups. But I wasn’t able to because I didn’t have health insurance. I rarely was able to go to a doctor in the four years since I quit my job with a corporation to start an empanada business. Please see my story here:

Now I have health insurance that gives me peace of mind and financial security. I logged onto the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov and found an affordable policy with excellent coverage. Because I was eligible for lower costs, my policy costs only $98 a month, with a deductible of $750.

I think it’s very important for 20 year-olds to have insurance even though many of them think they are too young and that nothing can happen. You never know. You could get into a car accident. Not having health insurance puts you instantly in a hole.

Having health insurance is going to help me achieve my goals of creating an empanada empire because I will have the peace of mind knowing that I don’t have to spend any time worrying about what if something happens to me. I will be able to focus on what’s important, which is going to be my business.

We opened our first pasta and empanada store on Monday. Having a business is hard. We work a lot but it is definitely a labor of love. And having health insurance is absolutely making it possible for me to chase my dream.”

A Spanish version of the blog is also available here: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/blog/2014/02/stefanias-enrollment-story-es.html.